— Ch. 1 · The Hunger That Fueled Communism —
Restatement of Policy on Germany.
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 5
In 1946, American Occupation General Lucius D. Clay observed that Germans faced a stark choice between starvation and ideology. He stated there was no option to be a communist on 1,500 calories daily while believing in democracy on just 1,000 calories. The Morgenthau Plan envisioned such poverty and hunger for the German population after World War II. Western powers feared this economic devastation would drive the entire nation toward communism. James F. Byrnes delivered his speech in Stuttgart on the 6th of September 1946 to address these fears directly. His message aimed to repudiate the harsh economic policies of the Morgenthau Plan immediately. This shift signaled a new policy focused on economic reconstruction rather than permanent punishment. Byrnes later explained that winning the German people was the core of their program. He described it as a battle over minds between the United States and Russia.
A Promise Of Territorial Integrity
Byrnes addressed the question of Germany's territorial integrity with specific language regarding the Ruhr area. He declared that the United States would not support any encroachment on territory indisputably German. The statement noted that people of the Rhineland desired to remain united with the rest of Germany. Byrnes affirmed that the United States would not oppose their desire to stay together. An exception existed for the French claim to the Saarland region. However, he accepted the Western Neisse line as a provisional Polish border at that time. The speech left the final extent of land east of the Oder-Neisse line to be decided later. Byrnes stated that the Soviets and Poles suffered greatly from Hitler's invading armies. He acknowledged Poland asked for revision of her northern and western frontiers due to this suffering. The United States supported revision in Poland's favor but deferred the exact boundary determination. This approach allowed future settlements to decide how much territory would become permanently Polish.